Mountain air

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
I am sitting at about 4,000 feet elevation in a powerful thunderstorm that has knocked out power and made us all remember that electricity is a luxury. Yep, that's exactly what it is.

'Went to a wedding yesterday; youngsters who were having a really fun time - cracking each other up, making the assembled crowd and the person officiating laugh - making it "their" wedding. After it was over they went off to the nearby lake alone and came back in awhile with a bottle of Champaign in tow.
They had set it up in advance; a moment of reflection and celebration before the revelry began.
'Spoke to the rabbi who performed the ceremony; she had been a part of the groom's life for 22 years.
It was one of the those times that renews my faith in the human spirit and the power of love.
As it so happens, the band afterwards was too loud for me - the old folks went home early.

The 2007 Edmunds St. John, Heart of Gold tonight is at peak - the cut has calmed but still exists and the flavors are perfect. Steve continues to impress.

Did you know that you can take pizza out of the freezer and fry it on the top of the stove? Yes, you can.

'Dug around in my cellar today; lots of things I'd lost track of that now are in boxes ready to be hauled across country. Almost a case of Overnoy, some Knoll, a couple aged Bordeaux, some Oregon pinots with ten or more years on them, Juge, Chave, etc. Cellars are happy places.

'Spoke with the fellow who is staying in our NC home - I guess he will be moving soon - he has a girl friend and she wants him to move in. I hate to see him go - he kept the place cleaner than we did.
Real estate isn't selling here - maybe that's a gift for Diane and me. We love this place and each time we come back the people and the environment captivate us.
With things in Sonoma amping up, I thought we'd sell our place here but maybe, and especially since the real estate market is down, we won't. Sometimes, the universe tells you what to do.

I remember back in 2006 when I made a trip to Berkeley to serve as gopher for Steve Edmunds for a harvest. He made a wine called Old Black Magic - a co-ferment of syrah and grenache. I remember mixing the two as the ferment started. I'd not seen that done before.
Tonight it is as good as most CdP and means more to me 'cause my hands were in it.

Take a deep breath . . . ah yes, mountain air.

Best to all, Jim
 
Did you know that you can take pizza out of the freezer and fry it on the top of the stove?
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In fact, we did that last week after a micro-tornado took down the power lines on our street (and our neighbor's car, and another neighbor's roof). It was interesting.
 
originally posted by Thor:
Did you know that you can take pizza out of the freezer and fry it on the top of the stove?
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In fact, we did that last week after a micro-tornado took down the power lines on our street (and our neighbor's car, and another neighbor's roof). It was interesting.
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"interesting;" good word.
Best, Jim
 
A little cosmic humor in remembering electricity is a luxury in thunderstorm (I assume there was lightning). Happy for you in this transition.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim: Mountain air Real estate isn't selling here - maybe that's a gift for Diane and me. We love this place and each time we come back the people and the environment captivate us.
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Jim, Such is the allure of the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains, especially in the area around Linville, Hounds Ears, Banner Elk, Boone, etc.
 
Storms were brewing this evening in our parts, too, though none so severe as to knock out power. As it happens, tonight I continued my pursuit of NY brick oven pizza with 6 pizzas made at home and they were the best yet (crust gets a B+ and toppings an A-). Washed it all down with a very nice bottle of 2008 Navarro Dry Muscat which I recall you'd earlier posted about: lovely aromatics, nicely dry and crisp, just a bit too alcoholic. Jean's brother phoned in the midst of dinner, and they were eating pizza in a thunderstorm in Sarasota.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MarkS:
...(crust gets a B+ and toppings an A-)
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I find the toppings always easier to get right.
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Yup. I've taken my cue from a recent NY Times article but I have yet to establish a sourdough culture to go the next step (as for any other pet, I won't lightly take on the responsibility of care and feeding for some ambient yeasties). Even so, with the convection oven cranked up to 550F and a pizza stone, the crusts are pretty damn good (the pizzas cook in under 5 minutes and caramelize nicely on top). Like any B+ student, though, I'm now casting about for the thing that'll get me into the elite.

Mark Lipton
 
The Other Stupid achieves the best crusts I've ever tasted in a private home, if you can wheedle his recipe from him.

Oh, and you also might need the probably-illegal zillion-BTU mega-oven his fireman self installed that no one where you live will ever let you build in a million years.

But yeah, the recipe. That should do it...
 
originally posted by MLipton: with the convection oven cranked up to 550F and a pizza stone, the crusts are pretty damn good (the pizzas cook in under 5 minutes and caramelize nicely on top). Like any B+ student, though, I'm now casting about for the thing that'll get me into the elite.
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Mark, I have had really good success with pizzas using my Big Green Egg...

jpcbge-3.jpg
The charwood flavors add a lot.

. . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
We've had good pizzas from the egg, too; but it's not so easy to make a really good dough, in my experience.
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Ian,
The recipe I'm using for the dough is a simple one: 4 cups bread flour, 1.5 cups water, 1.5 Tbsp kosher salt, 1 T yeast. Combine, knead to a smooth consistency and let rise for 24-48 hours, most of the time spent in the fridge. Let return to room temp, divide into balls and punch down each ball into a flat form with your hands (don't use a rolling pin). With your hands, work the dough outward to desired thinness, thereby forming the rim of the crust. This recipe produces a dry enough dough that you can spin it in the air for greater thinness.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by MLipton: with the convection oven cranked up to 550F and a pizza stone, the crusts are pretty damn good (the pizzas cook in under 5 minutes and caramelize nicely on top). Like any B+ student, though, I'm now casting about for the thing that'll get me into the elite.
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Mark, I have had really good success with pizzas using my Big Green Egg...

jpcbge-3.jpg
The charwood flavors add a lot.

. . . . . Pete
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I believe you, Pete. You can probably get it up to very high temperatures, too. My smoker is a bit less well suited to the task, I'm afraid, but I wouldn't trade the awesome BBQ I get on it for grilled pizza anyway.

Mark Lipton
 
Like any B+ student, though, I'm now casting about for the thing that'll get me into the elite.
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Hey, better living through Chemistry! I'm sure you'll prosper your way to fabulous pizza. And 550 for an oven temp? Wow. I thought we were cooking pizzas hot at 500. I'm sure the commercial oven at the restaurant I worked in in high school had it about that that (550) hot.
 
originally posted by MLipton: The recipe I'm using
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You can probably get it up to very high temperatures, too. My smoker is a bit less well suited to the task, I'm afraid, but I wouldn't trade the awesome BBQ I get on it for grilled pizza anyway.
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Mark, Here is a fast and easy recipe that has served us well...

Pizza Bianca

Food Processor Pizza Dough

From Cuisinarts.

So easy. So fast. So much better than store-bought pizza crust. Use the dough for calzone, too.

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons oil, plus more for oiling pan

1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal

In a small bowl, stir yeast and sugar into warm water; let stand 10 minutes. Insert metal blade in food processor bowl; add flour and salt. Turn machine on. While it is running, pour in the yeast mixture and process 45 seconds, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil; process 60 seconds longer.

If dough sticks to sides of bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing 10 seconds after each addition, until dough leaves sides of bowl but remains soft.

On a floured surface, roll dough into a circle, rotating and turning the dough often and using enough flour so it doesn't stick. If the dough resists rolling, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. Roll the dough into a 15-inch circle for a 14-inch pizza pan.

Oil pan lightly; sprinkle with cornmeal. Fold rolled dough in half loosely and then in half again. Position the point at the center of the pan and gently unfold. Press into place from the center outward, turn under the 1-inch overhang and shape it into a rim.

Fill and bake at about 550 degrees. Or follow the pizza filling instructions.
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I do my pizzas at about 550 degrees in the Big Green Egg. Only then need a good Zin e.g. Murphy Goode Liar's Dice Zin.

As to the BBQ comment, the BGE does well with most any type of outdoor preparations, including BBQ.

. . . . . . Pete
 
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